


Time Out

by CheshirePrime



Category: Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego?
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-24
Updated: 2010-12-24
Packaged: 2017-10-14 02:14:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/144233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheshirePrime/pseuds/CheshirePrime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A time-travel accident leaves Carmen and Ivy with a rare opportunity to be themselves, with no handcuffs, henchmen, or pesky little brothers anywhere to be found.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twtd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twtd/gifts).



> This was written as a Yuletide Treat for twtd, because I love this pairing and wanted to play with them. I feel it's only fair to add a warning, however: my Carmen dvds are in another state right now, so I was going from memory on several elements. Likewise, I didn't have as much time to research the setting as I would have liked. If the time travel or any other detail is messed up, please ignore it and accept this fic as nothing more than a pairing offering. Happy Yuletide!

The Chronoskimmer was jammed. Ivy flicked the switch yet again, frowning down at the device anxiously. The time portal _had_ opened-- but only long enough for Zack to jump in. It had sealed closed behind him a split-second later, before Carmen and Ivy could follow him through.

"Can't you think any faster than that, Detective?" Carmen arched her perfectly-shaped eyebrows, frowning. "I admit, I'm disappointed."

Ivy gritted her teeth and resisted the urge to snap. "Zack usually does the thinking, Carmen. I'm just the muscle." She handed Carmen the Chronoskimmer. "You're good with gadgets. Why don't you figure it out?"

Carmen took it, not quite concealing her eagerness. "Letting me get a glimpse at the newest tech? You're getting soft in your old age."

"We need to get home, and you're more likely to figure it out than I am. It's only practical." Because being stuck in 1920s Paris was not Ivy's idea of a good time.

"It _did_ work," Carmen mused. "Zack made it out."

"That might be why it's not working now." Ivy frowned. "Maybe it won't go to the same place so fast."

"The same _time_ ," Carmen corrected her absently. "You may be right about that. Some kind of failsafe mode?"

"It sounds likely." Which was Carmen's fault in the first place, really. If having their tech stolen was slightly less of a concern, the ACME labs would be a lot less worried about safety protocols. Probably. Well, maybe. Ivy had to admit that some of them were a bit on the paranoid side.

Carmen handed back the Chronoskimmer. "You may as well keep it. How long do you think it'll take to reset?"

"How should I know? I've never used this model before." Ivy frowned. "Anyway, I'm just the detective. The tech is _supposed_ to be out of beta before it ever gets to me."

This wasn't entirely true; both of them knew perfectly well that Zack was fond of new tech and frequently volunteered for field trials. Ivy was grateful when Carmen let it pass with only another raise of her eyebrows.

"We should find someplace to wait, then," she said, after a moment. "I don't think standing in the middle of the street playing with strange objects will endear us to the locals."

They were attracting more than a few curious looks, in fact, although Ivy could think of several times that the gawking had been considerably worse. She sighed. "How's your French?"

"Passable. Yours?"

"Pretty much non-existent."

Carmen shook her head. "You see, this is why I've never quite approved of teamed detectives. You and Zack are too dependent on each other."

"Hey," Ivy protested, stung. "I can work alone. I _have_ worked alone, pretty successfully."

"Only when you're working close to home." Carmen turned, walking swiftly down the street so that Ivy had to hurry to keep up. "You really do need your brother when you're abroad. If for no other reason than to order you a cafe-au-lait."

"I hate to tell you this, Carmen, but we don't actually have money to pay for drinks."

Carmen paused in her stride, smiling. "Did you forget who you were traveling with?"

"You wouldn't!"

"No. I wouldn't." Her smile widened. "But I do carry a small amount of gold on me. Come on, Ivy, we'll stop at the bank and I'll exchange it."

Ivy hesitated. "How legitimate is that gold?"

"Ivy, don't ask me questions if you don't want to know the answers."

It was true that she didn't really want to know. She knew that Carmen had her own ethics, and that would have to be good enough for now. So she resumed her place at Carmen's side, following her into an elegant-looking building. "Won't someone notice our clothes?" she whispered.

"Look around," Carmen whispered back. "Luckily, this is not a place with a strict dress code."

Now that she was looking, Ivy could see that no one was paying any attention to them for the moment. Carmen's coat and hat, in fact, didn't look that different from some of the things other ladies were wearing. Her own attire, though...

"They probably think you're my bodyguard," Carmen said, in her ear. "You're dressed like an adventurer, anyway, and this is a place that will most likely respect that."

Ivy dropped back a step, standing behind Carmen's right shoulder. She waited patiently, taking in everything around them while Carmen had a short argument with the bank teller, and followed at Carmen's heels as they left, with the transaction completed to Carmen's apparent satisfaction.

"You're quick," Carmen noted, and Ivy could hear approval in her voice. "You fell in with me right away."

"It just seemed like a good idea." Ivy ducked her head, letting her hair cover her face. _Why_ did Carmen's approval make her blush? It shouldn't be so important what the criminal she'd devoted the last five years to capturing thought about her skills.

"It's more likely an unnecessary precaution on our parts." Carmen tipped her head thoughtfully. "Still, better to be on the safe side, I think."

Ivy nodded in agreement, following as Carmen started down the street again. They turned into a cafe and Carmen led her to a table. "Sit," she said, and Ivy did as she was told, sliding easily into a chair. Carmen sat down across from her. "I'll even order for you."

"Thanks." It was a little uncomfortable, but there really didn't seem to be a better option. After all, they could hardly split up while they were stranded in the past. As Carmen had pointed out, Ivy didn't speak the language, and she knew nothing about the customs. Better to follow someone who seemed like they might have a clue about what was going on around them, even if that someone _was_ an incredibly talented thief that Ivy should probably be arresting. _I can always do that later_ , she told herself. After all, Carmen didn't seem in any hurry to get away from _her_ , either.

Carmen ordered for both of them, cafe-au-lait and croissants, and they sat together silently. "What happens if we try the Chronoskimmer again too soon?" Ivy asked, after about fifteen minutes of quiet. "Do you think it'll lock us out again?"

Carmen shrugged-- elegantly, Ivy observed. None of Zack's teenage apathy or Ivy's own bravado in a motion like that, only a deliberate non-answer. "It's your technology, Ivy. I have no idea."

Unfortunately, Ivy didn't either. "It can't possibly take longer than an hour to reset. Even an hour seems like a dangerous lag-- what if we'd been someplace hostile and needed to escape right away?"

"Take it up with your tech boys." Carmen sipped her drink. "Are you that anxious to get rid of me?"

"I'm not the one who specializes in escape."

"True enough." She smiled at Ivy over the rim of her cup. "It's only fitting that you've been following me around all afternoon, then, isn't it?"

Ivy had no answer for that. She was already thinking ahead, to what would happen when they got home. It was completely unfair-- she and Zack had captured Carmen fair and square, but thanks to the stupid Chronoskimmer malfunction, she and Carmen were stuck together, at least for the moment. And if Carmen was looking out for her in Paris, then the only honorable thing to do was to make sure Carmen got away when they got back to the present.

Zack was going to be so pissed.

Carmen set her cup delicately on its saucer, cutting Ivy's thoughts short. "If you're finished, I believe we have an appointment to keep."

Maybe Carmen had a plan of her own. That would make Ivy's life a lot easier. If Carmen got away on her own, then all Ivy had to do was make sure they couldn't recapture her. "I'm ready whenever you are." She stood up, taking her place at Carmen's shoulder again on their way out of the cafe.

They found a dark little corner of a back alley, dirty but miraculously empty, and Ivy pulled the Chronoskimmer out of her pocket. "Okay, so let's just--"

Carmen sighed. "This doesn't sound good."

"It isn't." She held out the device to Carmen, letting her see the blinking battery light. "It's not dead yet, I don't think, but I don't want to try a jump when it's blinking like that. We'd do better to just stay here and wait for Zack to figure out he needs to come back for us."

"I agree." Carmen shook her head. "If we tried it and got stranded somewhere else...."

"Right." Ivy pocketed the Chronoskimmer with a sigh. "This is just _not_ our day."

"Meanwhile," Carmen pointed out, "it's getting dark. We should really think about finding somewhere to spend the night."

"Do you really think it'll take him that long? I'd feel better if we stayed close to the square Zack left from."

"If the Chronoskimmer is anything like the C5, I don't think that will matter very much."

It was a fair enough point, and Ivy acknowledged it with a grim nod, gesturing back toward the street. "After you, then, if you don't mind letting me tag along with you."

"I could hardly leave you here, could I?" Carmen started for the street, picking her way neatly through the litter at their feet. "That wouldn't be very nice."

"Well, I appreciate it." Ivy followed the familiar red fedora through the streets, almost running into her when Carmen suddenly stopped in front of a tidy little building.

"I thought it would be here," she said, sounding satisfied. "It's an old enough establishment. I can't promise how big the room will be, but we'll be out of the street."

"That's all I need." The stress of the long chase had caught up with her, and Ivy was much more tired than she'd have liked to admit. Five different time periods in one day was four too many, as far as she was concerned. Carmen led her into the warm foyer of the building, greeting the landlady in French. Her accent, Ivy could tell, was better than Zack's. After a few minutes of conversation, she nodded in satisfaction, accepting a key and turning back to Ivy.

"We're up the stairs. Second floor." She led the way up the stairs, stopping in front of a door with a brass number 4 on it and fitting the key into the lock. "I should warn you."

"Warn me?"

Carmen's smile was diabolical. "As per usual for this era, there's only one bed."

Oh. Well, then. "That's okay," Ivy said. "Your money, your bed. As long as I've got walls around me, the floor is good enough."

"As long as that's settled." Carmen turned the key and opened the door. The room was small; the bed took up most of the space. It probably wasn't fancy (although to Ivy, almost everything in this time seemed like antiques-- she had to keep reminding herself that most of the furniture was probably nothing special by period standards), but it was neat and felt much cleaner than most modern hotel rooms.

Carmen unbuttoned her trenchcoat and hung it neatly on a hook beside the door, setting her hat on top of it. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall," she said. "I'm going to go wash up."

Ivy could hear the unspoken challenge in her voice: _if you'll let me go without a babysitter_. "You don't need my permission."

Carmen didn't press the issue, although it was clearly far from resolved. Alone in the room, Ivy sat down on the floor and began unlacing her boots. She pulled them off and set them aside, then leaned back against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Come on, little bro," she muttered. "You know where we are. Just come get us before this mess gets any deeper."

But talking to imaginary Zack was never particularly comforting, and especially not now. Because Zack was safely at home, and even if he weren't-- Zack would be able to take care of himself. Zack wouldn't have to be dependent on the criminal he was supposed to be capturing to lead him around. She sighed again. "This is _not_ how things are supposed to go."

"Maybe not," Carmen said from the doorway. "But it's how things _are_ going. Isn't that right, detective?"

It was the first time that afternoon that Carmen had used her title, and Ivy was surprised how much it stung. "Look," she said, after a moment, "can we call a truce or something?"

Carmen shut the door behind her and sat down on the edge of the bed. "A truce?"

Clearly, she'd taken Carmen by surprise. Ivy took a deep breath, feeling a little more confident. "This isn't... I mean, we're not exactly playing our usual roles right now. So maybe... maybe I'm not a detective until we get back to our time."

"Provided I'm not a thief?" Carmen nodded, thoughtfully, and offered Ivy her hand. "I accept your terms."

Ivy took her hand and shook it. "Then we have a deal."

"Good. Then I don't have to make you sleep on the floor." Carmen smiled at her. "Bed's more than big enough to share, Ivy, and you're exhausted."

Ivy bit her lip. "I... okay. If you don't mind, I don't."

"You need to sleep." She patted the bed invitingly. "Today was fun for me, but I know my play is your work."

"It's not that I don't enjoy it." Ivy got to her feet, hanging her jacket on the hook next to Carmen's and stretching out on the bed.

"Would you stay at ACME if you didn't?"

The question took Ivy by surprise. The answer that rose in her automatically surprised her even more. "I know I ought to say I like being one of the good guys, but... no. I don't think I would."

"ACME isn't necessarily the good guys."

"Better than VILE."

Carmen lay down beside her, folding her hands behind her head and staring up at the ceiling. "Oh, for the most part, I suppose that's true. But being right isn't the same as being good, you know."

There was a bitterness under her words that took Ivy by surprise. "Is... is that why you left?"

"I left because I was bored, Ivy. There was nothing noble about that decision." She sighed. "But I will admit to finding the ACME mindset a bit on the self-righteous side at times. Solving crime doesn't make anyone a better person. It's a job like any other."

"But you don't regret it."

"Well, no. I like the challenges I set for myself. And I enjoy matching wits against you and Zack."

"I like it too." It was easy enough to admit to a truth they both knew.

"If I disappeared tomorrow," Carmen mused, "I wonder how long you'd stay with ACME."

She shouldn't give Carmen the satisfaction. She knew better. But she said it anyway: "I'd give it six months, tops."

"I thought so."

Ivy rolled over, turning her back to Carmen. "You don't need to sound so smug about it."

Carmen only laughed.

"It's not like I'm _you_. I mean, I'm a good detective, but I'm no superstar. If I did something else, if I left ACME, someone just as good would come along."

"Do you think so?"

"Sure. I mean, okay, Zack would have to find a new partner. But who's easier to replace, the jock or the genius?"

There was a long pause before Carmen answered. "You said earlier that you were just the muscle."

"I do my share of the detective work. I can think through a case just as well as he can. But so could any other ACME agent."

"You do have very different skill sets. But you're not _just_ anything, Ivy."

"It feels like overkill, sometimes." She flopped onto her back, mirroring Carmen's pose with her hands behind her head. "I mean, I know as many ways to disable an opponent as Zack knows languages. And I get that that's just as much a skill as what he does. But for every language Zack learns, he can take care of himself in one more part of the world-- but every fighting style I learn doesn't make me any more capable. If I weren't with you right now, I'd be pretty much helpless."

"You're feeling sorry for yourself," Carmen observed. "It's unproductive and frankly unattractive, and if you're hoping I'll talk you out of it, you're wrong."

Ivy pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I'm not hoping to be talked out of anything!"

"Of course you are, or you wouldn't be telling me this. I'm not your therapist."

Ivy growled under her breath, rolling out of bed and grabbing her boots.

"Oh, for heaven's sake." Carmen's voice was mildly amused. "I'm not, Ivy. But I am, at least for the moment, on your side. Do you want to stop acting like the adolescent you really aren't, or would you rather sulk?"

"I'd rather sulk," Ivy muttered rebelliously, but she dropped back down onto the bed.

"That's a shame."

"Oh? Why's that?"

Carmen sat up and took Ivy's hand, pulling at her until they faced each other. "You're a woman of action, yes?"

Ivy tensed slightly. She could see where this was going, but--more worryingly-- she had no interest in stopping it. "Yes."

"Then I think we've had enough of words for the time being. Maybe this will make my point a little better." She leaned forward, pressing her lips to Ivy's.

Ivy kissed back, feeling a little of the tension leave her body. She laced her fingers with Carmen's and held on tight. When Carmen drew her closer, she went without resistance.

It was easy, it was fun, and it didn't last nearly long enough. They drew apart a few minutes later, and Ivy, slightly dazed, took in Carmen's smile. "Was that a challenge, Carmen?"

"Only if you want it to be, Ivy." She licked her lips. "Are you game?"


End file.
